North Carolina Newspapers

r avenge - " 'WKmHWk ■ Hfc Served by Leased Wire of the PEARL HARBOR f" JjfpSfllA 'Pllup lAfCS ASSOCIATED PRESS AND BATAAN I '«.wPU8USHe5 in ||^[ Hill With Complete Coverage of -r—__£>©037 &ME>) (DnldAgy ^jg'fe state and National New -- j~ SIXTEEN PAGES_WILMINGTON, N. C., SUNDAY, JULY 19, 1942 * FINAL EDITION PRICE FIVE CENTS 1 I _ ' ——-- ■ _ _ _ _ Jeneral Drum Ians Flying East Area iclujes Civilian, Military Training Flights In I Defense Section FIRING PROHIBITED [ew Restrictions Extend :rom Maine To The North Carolina Capes NE\V YORK. Jub' 18-(.T)-Lieut. ■en Hugh Drum today barred all jvjlian and military traiing fly 12 from an eastern "vital defense rea" and prohibited ail persons scept anti-aircraft units from fir ,0 "at any aircraft, balloon or irigible or at any parachutists nless postively identified as ene "Micellaneous” flying also was lanned from the area extending i-om Maine to the Carolina Capes vithin the eastern defense zone. The no-firing order said: "All persons, military or civil ian, except members of anti-air craft artillery units, are prohibit ed from firing at any aircraft, bal [lonn or dirigible. -- at any para chutists, unless it or he be first postively identified as enemy. Will Intercept Aircrait '•Aircraft violating there regula tions will be intercepted and forced to the ground by pursuit aircraft," the order added, “Disciplinary ac tion will be taken against mili ary personnel. Civilian personnel nvolved will be prosecuted. The order also stipulated that ill planes entering the area must ly over "a civil airway, proceed dong the airway to the point learest the destination, then pro eed direct to the destination. " "AH other flying—Army, Navy nd civilian—within the area "is estricted to that which is neces ary to the war effort," the state- i tent added, Gen. Drum order ly that air activity which "jeo ardues the air defense of the tea should be "discontinued at “e earliest practicable date.” Statement Gen. Drum's statement, issued [trough Lieut. Col. Edward J. F ?alvin> Publication relations of. tcer of the Army eastern defense (Continued on Faire Fifteen; Col. 3) --V-_ jASION launching SCHEDULED TODAY ^ViH Be 21st Freighter To Slide Down Ways Of N.C. Shipbuilding Co. Gaston, twen •fmst Ltberty freighter to be launched at the yards of the North -arolma Shipbuilding company *re, will be christened wUh aD. hkaftm Cereraon>' at 3;30 o’clock tiiis afternoon. Mrs. Alexander Crosby Brown of v v.’por News. Va„ a daughte? of ATh? t.F,?reman E- s- Baysder. a the hull outfitting division of J;n Shipbuilding company, sponsor the 10.000-ton vessel. W i^!ara Louise Dugger of mnJ?'wi*l l36 her maid of r and Mrs. Lindsey A. Fowler ionor"P°rt 'News’ l'er matron of Hie ship is named for Judge Wil Gaston, a state supreme jfi . ]urist and the author of the : state song, “The Old North state Forever.” touisC°Tdln-w t0 da!a comPiled G Moore, acting executive inn I.,*1*0* ll16 Greater Wilming ''amber of commerce, Judge 1 "nunued on rage Five; Col. 3) WEATHER " aar*01*^ Ming S°fa! data for the 24 hours lE-''STF.Bvmi.^yesterday): ERN STANDARD TIME) 1:30 a. m .JemI>eratiire: 6; 7:30 p. m'8i7:30 a- m. 80; 1:30 p. m 7 mean s; J’ maximum 98; minimum “■ normal 79. 1:30 a ,ri „-Hura'dity: 1 7:30 m; 7:30 ® m. 77; 1:30 p. m. Eotal for theeC24itlti°1,: ^ ! 0.00 i-,.u ^ hours ending 7:30 “f ,hc month 2.utotal since the first nn,’, . niches. T:>“ Tah,°K TODAY: Crast and GenJlr published by U. S. Geodetic Survey): "limingto,, High Low L 1:30a. 8:44a. Hasonboro lniPt 2:10p- 8:58p I^“nrise t !4a. ll:48p. 5:56p. ofa: moonset 7:22p: m00nrise TjZ ;‘ter, *ta*' a‘ Fayette is, ®l 8 a. m.. J».08 feet. ",,led 00 ^afe Five; Col. 3> Dies GEORGE SUTHERLAND -V_ FORMER JUSTICE SUTHERLAND DIES Was Member Of Court’s Conservative Bloc In Early Days Of New Deal STOCKBRIDGE, Mass., July 18. —(tft—George Sutherland, a mem ber of the conservative bloc of the Supreme Court in the “5 to 4” de cisions of earlier new deal days, died in bed during the night. The 80-year-old jurist, who retir ed in January. 1938, after Presi dent Roosevelt’s unsuccessful at tempt to enlarge the high court, had been in failing health for some time, but was able to be up until yesterday. He came to this Berkshire Hill town a month ago and with Mrs. Sutherland spent his days walking or on short motor trips. He was found dead in bed this morning by his wife. Death was caused by cor onary thrombosis. The body will be taken to Wash ington. Funeral arrangements have not been completed yet, but burial is expected to be in the capital. The gray-bearded, British - bom Sutherland was known throughout his 15 years on the Supreme court as a strict constitutionalist, wno maintained that it was the duty of the court only to rule on the con stitutionality of laws and not whether the legislation was wise or unwise. "If the provisions of the consti tution be not upheld when they pinch as well as when they com fort,” he once asserted, “they may as well be abandoned.” He voted to uphold the new deal [in the limited approval given the [Tennessee Valley authority, but in most of the major other adminis tration-sponsored measures he dis sented. Born in Stony Stratford. Buck inghamshire, England, Sutherland was the only Supreme Court Jus tice foreign-born of alien parents since 1794. ! He was brought to this country when only 18 months old by his (Continued on Pnsre Seven; Col. 5) SOLONS APPROVE FLORIDA CANAL Attempt May Be Made To Obtain Action On St. Lawrence Project WASHINGTON, July 18— OP) - Final congressional approval to day of the Florida barge canal and pipelines bill brought predictions from opponents that an attempt would rollow to obtt in legislative action on the proposed St. Law rence river seaway and wate power development. The house completed legislative action on a $93,000,000 authoriza tion bill for the barge canal, Gub waterway improvement and con struction of two or more pipelines Its acceptance of minor Senate amendments sent the measure tr President Roosevelt who had indi (Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) Red Reverses! May Prompt Second Froiu Channel Drive Is Not Ex pected To Be All-Out Invasion, However FACE BIG PROBLEMS London Watches Tide Of German Successes Against Russians LONDON, July 18— (ff) —The se riousness of the German advance in the Don basin may prompt the U. S. and Britain to drive across the English channel soon to open a second front, but the tremendous shipping and training problems confronting the Allies made it un likely that such a drive would be an all-out invasion. Such an attack would differ ap preciably from the grand war-win ning operations for which Ameri can; British and Canadian armies are training, said military experts who will not be quoted by name. But whatever the scale of attack, the Allied armies approaching France or the low countries would confront veteran German generals, stout coastal defenses, numerous airdromes for planes which could be dispatched from the Russian front and most important of all— an arrpy operating on short inter ior lines of communications. Watches Nazi Successes As this island grimly watched the tide of German successes in Russia, the Minister of Production, Oliver Lyttleton, declared that the German army was “committed to the grip of a second paralyzing winter which may well prove to be its last” if Hitler fails to crush the Red army in the 90 remaining fighting days. The Allies, pledged morally at least to opening a second diversion ary front to relieve Russia lest its million’s be lost forever to the Al lied cause, face tremendous tasks in reopening a western continental land front. n Birst.is. the selection of an in ■‘vastion site.* Northern France is (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) i -V FOUR MORE SHIPS SUNK BY U-BOATS American Vessel Sent To Bottom Off Coast Of India By Jap Sub (By Tile Associated Press) Four more cargo vessels were de stroyed in the Atlantic and Indian oceans by enemy warcratt, the Navy announced yesterday. A Japanese cruiser operating off India’s southern coast sank a me dium-sized American merchant ves sel, while Axis submarines in the Atlantic sank small British cargo ship and two more medium-sized United States merchantmen. A total of 383 Allied and neutral merchant ships have been destroyed by enemy action in western Atlantic waters since Pearl Harbor, an un official Associated Tress tabulation disclosed, and at least 25 United States cargo vessels have been lost in the Pacific. An enemy cruiser shelled, bombed and sank the American ship in the Bay of Bengal more than two months ago. Eighteen survivors re cently were landed safely at an east coast port. Twenty-four others were lost in the attack which began with a bombing foray in which two Japa nese planes particuated. Fires which broke out following bomb bits bad scarcely been brought under control by crew members when the cruiser steamed into sight and opened fire at a range of about a mile. Survivors dived overboard and clambered onto two rafts, later changing to a lifeboat sighted float ing nearby. The next morning found them safely within sight of the Indian coast. Survivors of the small British merchantmen sunk in the south (Continued on Page Seven; Col. 3) ^ned LOUIS B. MAYER IT MAYER EXTORTION ATTEMPT BLASTED Two Held On Charges Of Demanding $250,000 From Movie Executive LOS ANGELES, July 18.— M— A former boxer who writes lyrics and a filling station attendant who composes music were charged in federal court today with attempt ing to extort $250,000 from movie maker Louis B. Mayer, the nation’s highest paid executive last year. Their arrest was disclosed only a few hours earlier by Director J. Edgar Hoover of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Wash ington. the prisoners are Meyer Philip Grace, 39, who fought as young Jack Dempsey, and Channing Drexel Lipton, 25, filling station employe. Both confessed having demanded $250,000 under threat of death in a letter mailed at sub urban Beverly Hills on June 25 and to having picked up a dummy package July 13. said J. W. Vin cent, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI here. Vincent said they hinted per sona] ill feeling toward Mayer but added merely that Lipton’s fa ther, Lew Lipton, was a title writer at M-G-M in the silent days when titles filled in for lack of conversation. Talkies eliminated such work. Mayer’s secretary said the executive never had heard any intimation of such an attitude by the Liptons. Mayer received the letter the same day it was mailed and im mediately notified the FBI. As in structed, he conducted his business in his regular way. employed no special guard and took no precau tions. He is spending the week-end at his Hemet, Calif., ranch. A postcard repeated the demand a week later and gave instructions for leaving the money at a hotel desk. Vincent said that although the demands were signed “spokesman for six’’ he was positive no others were involved. “That was a ruse,” he explain ed. Mayer, unlike many of the movie industry’s biggest executives, was active in Los Angeles civic life. He has been chairman of the in dustry's community chest cam paigns several years, is national vice chairman of the United Serv ice organizations and gives liber ally of time and money to other causes. He was president of the motion picture producers associa tion seven years. 4 Curtain Falls On CCC In Smoky Mountains GATLINBURG, Tenn., July IS — i.l'i—The final curtail fell on the Civilian Conservation corps in the Great Smoky Mountains National park today. Superintendent J. Ross Eakin, of the park, said the throe remaining' CCC camps within the park—at the Sug'arlands, at Cade’s Cove, and at Kephart Prong—would be closed to day and that all CCC activities would cease. OPA Takes Legal Action Against Ten Accused Of Increasing Beer Prices Temporary restraining orders were served on two Wilmington and eight Clinton retailers, ac cused of violating the maximum price ceilings set by the Office of Price Administration, by U. S. Deputy Marshal Walter Hatch yes terday afternoon in the first legal proceedings taken 1o enforce price ceilings in North Carolina. The 10 firms, alleged to have sold beer and soft drinks this month at prices higher than were charged by the respective frims in March, are ordered to desist from selling commodities higher than the legal maximum and from otherwise violating the provisions of the General Maximum Price regulation. Issued at the request of State OPA Attorney Norman Shepherd, the temporary restraining orders were signed by Federal Judge Isaac M. Meekins of Elizabeth City yesterday morning. The de fendents are required to appear before the judge in Elizabeth City on July 30 to show cause why the orders should not become perma nent. The restraining orders were served on the Famous Club and Grill on the Carolina beach high way. alleged to have sold soft drinks for 10 cents instead of five as was charged in March, and the Cape Fear Sandwich shop at Sec ond and Grace streets, alleged to have charged 25 cents for five cent drinks and 16-cent beer. In Clinton, orders were served on Knott’s Quick Lunch, New York cafe, Morris Grill, Carolina Fruit Palace, Lovell’s cafe, Henry Vann, Inc., City Cafe and George C. Thomas. All eight firms were charged with boosting the price of beer a nickel. Seven of the eight Clinton deal ers signed a voluntary statement, lowering beer prices to 10 and 15 (Continued on Pate Two; Col. 5) REDS DRIVE WEDGE INTO NAZI POSITIONS IN VORONEZH AREA; U.S. AIR FORCES RAID TOBRUK AIR WAR BOOSTED British, Axis Battle For Possession Of Ridges West Of El Alamein U. S. PLANES ACTIVE Set Fire To Tanker And Score Direct Hits On A Large Motorship By EDWARD KENNEDY. CAIRO, Egypt, July 18— (JP) — Disclosure of new, hard-hitting raids on the Axis supply ports of Tobruk and Bomba by United States Army Air forces under com mand of Maj. Gen. Lewis H. Brere ton marked the rising power of air warfare over the western des ert today. On the ground, British Imperial and Axis land forces battled back and forth in bitter but inconclusive conflict for possession of the bar ren ridges west of El Alamein and about 75 miles west of Alexandria General Brereton, whose as sumption of command over the American air forces in the Middle East was made known only today said that in 36 days of operations the American Liberator and Flying Fortress bombers — both large super-charged four-engined types had conducted 21 missions and losl only three planes in combat. Hit Motorship In the newest of these assign ments they set fire to an Axis tanker and scored direct hits on a large motorship at Tobruk last night, added to the fires which the RAF already had set raging around the harbor, and reached on farther west into Libya to pound small ships in the Gulf of Bomba, where the Italians once had a sea plane base. “They put up a damned good show,” said the British in praise of the American airmen, who are concentrating primarily on the shipping Nazi Marshal Erwin Rom mel must have to maintain his threat against the vallev of the Nile. The British noted that Rommel himself was using air power on an increased scale and was using more Italian planes than ever be fore. For the first time in several weeks Axis planes operated yester day over British landing grounds in the Burg El Arab region some 40 miles west of Alexandria, behind the land battle lines. Bringing in Planes (Informed British sources in London said this use of Italian planes indicated that Rommel was having to bring them in from Sicily (Continued on Page Fifteen; Col. 4) -V NEW GAINS MADE BY WRjGHTSVILLE Assessed Value Of Prop erty Increases To $1 , 899,401 In Year During the past fiscal year, the total revenues of the Town of Wrightsville Beach climbed to $9, 935 over the total for th« previous fiscal year while the total assessed value of heach property increased $209,169 during the year to amount to $1,899,401, Mayor Dan J. Her rin said yesterday in presenting a recapitulation of the financial operations for the fiscal year. The town’s total indebtedness was decreased $9,000 during the year by the retirement of $5,000 in bonds and $4,000 in notes, thereby paying off all current debts. Tax collections increased from $21,855 to $27,733 for the past fis cal year while water and sewer revenues increased from $14,184 to $17,547 and income from other sources from $6,487 to $7,781. The town ended the year with an increase of cash on hand to $5,099 from $2,840 on hand at the beginning of the year. Expenditures for the year, in cluding $14,470 applied on debt service, were $45,505.14. The total indebtedness of the beach resort is now $167,000. In commenting on the results of the year. Mayor Herrin pointed out that there are only 10 delin quent tax payers of four years standing or over of a total of 425 tax payers. During the past year, a great many changes have taken place at the beach, the mayor said, in cluding the fact that now a fna jority of the homes and cottages are occupied on a year round basis. Despite the fact that the beach (Continued on Pare Fifteen: Col. 4) ....i THEY BOMBED BENITO’S FLEET These crew members of a U. S. Liberator bomber are shown giving the thumbs up sign after returning from the recent raid on the Italian fleet in the Mediterranean in which one 10,000 ton cruiser was sunk, and two battleships and several smaller cruisers damaged. They are (I. to r.) L. H. Whitley, Rockingham, N. C.; J. N. Petersen, Thatcher, Arizona; A. T. Patrick, Piedmont, Va., and R. J. Co,utrie, Chicago, 111. __ —(Central Press) Japanese Troops Blasted Out Of Wenchow Sector OTHER SETBACKS Generalissimo C h i a n g’s Troops Are Chasing In vaders Toward Juian By SPENCER MOOSA CHUNGKING. July 18.—(A*)—1The Japanese have been blasted out of Wenchow after holding that southern Chekiang province sea port less than a week and addi itonal setbacks have been inflict ed upon the enemy on three other active fronts, the Chinese an nounced tonight. The official central news agen cy said the Japanese were retreat ing southward from Wenchow to ward Juian, 13 miles away, and that Generalissimo Chiang Kai shek's forces were re-entering the city which thus becomes one of two of the larger seaports still in Chinese hands. Threat Averted A threat to the other major port, Foochow, further south in Fu kien province, was averted last week when the Japanese w e r e driven from a nearby island. The news agency account sup plemented today’s high command communique, covering operations up to last Thursday night, which said a Chinese column then had pushed back to the city’s suburbs, inflicting heavy casualties upon the invader. Earlier in the week the high command had acknowledged the Japanese capture of Wenchow last Saturday by a force thrusting a second avenue of conquest across Chekiang. The first enemy drive was completed last month along the line of the Chekiang-Kiangsi railway, from Hangchow, Japa nese-held capital in the north, into Kiangsi. The high command said today that Chinese units had gained the upper hand in fighting south of Juian and that other troops, fol lowing up recent successes in Kiangsi, again were in possession of Kinki, town 80 miles south of (Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) Temperature Reaches 98 Degrees In City Wilmington’s weeli-Iong heat wave came to a climax Satur day afternoon when weather bu reau instruments recorded a maximum temperature of 98, highest for the city so far this year. And tiie bureau had no con solation for tiie fan-hovering population. Its “continued hot” forecast for Sunday is expected to send thousands to nearby beaches for relief from the in tense humidity. High temperatures have con tinued since last Saturday’s 9? degrees. Last Sunday the maxi mum was 97. HOUSE CONCLUDES TAX BILL DEBATE Knutson Seeking Raise In Excess Profit Taxes To 90 Per Cent WASHINGTON, July 18—W—The House concluded three days of speeches on the $6,143,900,000 tax bill today while, meantime. Admin istration leaders checked to make sure all their supporters would be on hand for a vote Monday on the question of changing the corpora tion rates. Rep. Knutson (R.-Minn.) already has served notice he will demand that the House send the bill back to the Ways and Means committee with instructions to raise the ex cess profits rate from 87 1-2 per cent to 90 per cent and lower the combined normal and surtax on corporations from 45 to 40 per cent, If his motion is defeated, a final vote on the bill is expected to fol low. The leaders' energetic rallying oi their forces indicated they antici pated the vote on the Minnesotan’s motion might be close. Knutson said “we have a chance, (Continued on Page Fifteen; Col. 5) New Orleans Shipyard Contract Is Cancelled WASHINGTON, July 18. —UH — The Maritime Commission an nounced today that it had can celled a contract with the Higgins Industries, inc., of New Orleans, for a huge merchant shipbuilding plant in order to divert all avail able steel into the construction of ships at plants already in exist ence. The commission said this action had been concurred in by the War Production Board. A. J. Higgins, head of the firm, earlier in the day told of the shut down of his plant, employing 10. 000 men, and charged that t h e steel-shortage explanation was a pretex. The Higgins concern had a con tract for construction of 200 lib erty ships. “Inasmuch as it would be 1942 before the Higgins yard could be in full scale production, and be cause the Higgins program neces sitates the creation of vast new facilities such as shipways, shops, machine tools. railroads. and .ransportation and housing lor ■corkers.” the cemmission said, (Continued on Pate Two: Col. 1) • USE U. S. BOMBERS Little Change Indicated In Desperate Defense Of Vital Don Basin ATTACK BRIDGEHEADS Airmen Reported To Have Damaged Or Destroyed 80 Nazi Tanks By EDDY GILMORE MOSCOW, Sunday, July 19. (A5)—Russian troops counter attacking in the Voronezh area under the protection of American - made Douglas bombers were reported today to have driven a wedge into German positions and to have occupied a number of popu lated points. The midnight communique otherwise indicated little change in the desperate de fense of the Don river basin. The Soviets at the other end of the front still were locked with the Nazis “south of Mil lerovo,” but the exact area was not named. Fierce defensive battles were reported being waged by th Soviets south of Millerovo against the Germans, who were using- every weapon in then arsenal from flame throwers and tanks to parachute troops. ATTACKS BRIDGEHEADS (A Berlin radio summary acknow ledged repeated Soviet attacks on German bridgeheads across the Don south of Voronezh, but claim ed all these attacks were repulsed). “In the area of Voronezh our troops, overcoming the enemy's stubborn resistance on various sec tors have advanced and occupied a number of populated places,” the Soviet war bulletin said. The sinking of an 8,000-ton enemy transport in the Baltic also was announced. Russian airmen, presumably fly ing the Douglas planes as well as Russian craft, were reported to have destroyed or damaged 80 Ger man tanks, four armored cars, 23 guns, and 310-troop and supply trucks during Friday's fighting. . Three battalions of German infan try also were “dispersed and parti ally annihilated” ,by the air force, the communique said. . Tjo into Action News dispatches toid of the entry into action of the twin engine lighi attack Douglas Bostons on the Rus sian front. Presumably these ships entered Russia either through the Persian gulf or the Murmansk Arctic supply line, but they could have ben flown in from the Middle East. The Russians apparently werf having their gravest problems In. the south where a crushing Ger man advance was slowly rolling through ripening grain fields above the river Don to menace Rostov al the mouth of the meandering river and industrially-vital Stalingrad or. the Volga to the. southeast. The Germans claimed their troops had reached the lower Don on a broad front, but there was no con firmation of that here. (A BBC broadcast, quoting its correspondent in Moscow, reported, however, that "later messages said that the Germans had driven a ! wedge in the direction Rostov." The correspondent. Paul Winter ton. added that the news was “ex ceedingly bad." Reds Strike While the Germans moved through the waist-high fields of ripening grain and the minerally rich Don basin, the stout Russian forces at the northern extremity of the 220 mile Don front struck savagely against the weakened Germans and Hungarians who have tried vainly for two weeks to cap ture Voronezh on the upper Don. The Russians officially claimed the initiative there, and dispatches said they had wrested five pop ulated places and driven many of the foe back across the sluggish water, inflicting enormous casual i ties. J j There was evidence that Hie Nazi forces at Voronezh — comprising the Fourth Tank Corps and per haps 250,000 men — had been weakened material by diverting troops to the fronts further south. With control of most railways In the sector — of which Kharkov Is the hub — Marshal Von Bock could shift his forces much more easily than could Marshal Timoshenko. Danger Still Great The danger to Voronezh still was great, although the Germans bad switched there from furious offense (Continued on Page Two: Col. .'<)